


Or I Could Just Kiss You

by secretsofthesky



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Valentine's Day Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 01:07:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29909814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/secretsofthesky/pseuds/secretsofthesky
Summary: When Veronica decides to play her hand at matchmaking, Jughead helps Betty escape an awkward encounter.
Relationships: Archie Andrews/Veronica Lodge, Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones
Comments: 7
Kudos: 56





	Or I Could Just Kiss You

**Author's Note:**

> *repost*

What’s worse than being forced to attend your best friend's Valentine’s Day bash without a date because even your hermit coworker  _ \- who you had struck a deal with a few years prior to always pair up on events such as this just so neither of you would be flying solo - _ somehow had plans? 

The answer? Having said best friend take pity on you and decide the party would be the perfect opportunity to set you up with not one, not two, not even three or four, but  _ five _ different prospects as if you were on ABC’S The Bachelorette. 

Blame it on her mind being elsewhere and the fact that she was running on zero sleep due to a deadline at work, but she didn’t catch on until guy number three approached her and it all started clicking. 

And not in the way Veronica had apparently hoped. 

Honestly, for a moment she had thought the exhausted look was working for her. Not that she ever had a problem with meeting men, but never had she seemed to attract them one after the other. 

Though now she knew that it wasn’t exactly her sparkling personality and good looks that were reeling them in. 

It was her meddling best friend who thought she had been single for far too long.

From what Betty could gather, Veronica had staged it so that each man would approach Betty one by one, talk her up for five minutes, and then excuse themselves to get a drink. Then when they were gone, V would casually walk over and ask Betty who he was and how she felt about him. 

“I guess it _ has _ been a bit long,” Betty muttered, glaring at Veronica’s retreating back. But she was fine with that. Her career was more important and took up most of her time anyway. 

Plus, she hadn’t met a guy who made her feel anything worth exploring. The three guys who had approached her so far tonight had barely been able to keep her attention for the five minutes they had spoken to her and she had almost dozed off while talking to the third one. 

She tossed back the rest of her drink. Maybe it wasn’t them. Maybe it was her. Maybe she was just… broken. Unable to make a connection. To  _ feel _ .

Her eyes moved around the party and found the back of Veronica’s head and instantly felt bad for going off on her. Deep down, she knew she only had good intentions. She moved to take a step towards her to apologize but stopped when she noticed her talking to yet another guy. 

_ Must be bachelor number four, _ Betty thought with a cringe, narrowing her eyes as she took him in, noticing that something about his face seemed familiar. 

It only took another moment for it to dawn on her and her eyes widened as she spun around quickly as he looked up, hoping he didn’t somehow recognize her from the back of her head. 

Oh yeah, she knew him alright. And somewhere out there the fates were laughing evilly that in a city this big, the guy Betty had dated briefly in high school before he ended their relationship via text message the day before prom, would be one of the guys Veronica, not having met Betty until after high school, somehow found to court her. 

“What did I do to deserve this?” Betty looked to the ceiling as panic filled her. 

Keeping her back to Veronica and Chuck, she scanned the party, hoping to find one of the previous three guys to latch onto and hopefully stop Chuck from approaching her. 

Of course, though, no one could be found.  _ You probably scared them away by being so disinterested, _ she thought bitterly and wished she had a rewind button. Or that Veronica’s apartment wasn’t twenty stories up so she could at least escape out the window.

Heart pounding, her eyes searched for someone,  _ anyone _ , who she could use to make it seem like she was already taken.

A familiar grey beanie entered her vision and she nearly sprinted over to it.

“Forsythe.” 

The man in question turned slowly, his unamused blue eyes meeting hers. “Elizabeth.”

Betty cringed at her full name. “Sorry… Jughead,” she corrected, the nickname feeling odd on her tongue whenever she said it. 

“Betty,” he nodded in greeting, sipping at his beer, looking as pained to be attending the party as she felt. 

“I need a favor.”

His eyebrows quirked up, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. She didn’t blame him. They’d only ever spoken briefly when being pulled by their engaged best friends to events such as this, both of them usually already being a foul mood due to the nagging of said friends to get out and socialize more. Which was odd now that she thought about it, since they clearly had a lot in common and should have paired up to try and survive the events together. 

“A favor?”

Betty nodded, quickly giving him a rundown of Veronica’s matchmaking plans, realizing she had not been overreacting about it at all when he himself cringed. 

“Archie buying random girls drinks and telling the bartenders to say they’re from me doesn’t seem so bad now.” Jughead’s lips tugged up on one side. “At least I’ve never known any of them. That would have been awkward, to say the least.” 

Betty chuckled. That was such an Archie thing to do. “So you see my problem.”

Jughead’s eyes glanced over her shoulder as he turned to set his empty bottle on the counter behind him. “I do, and he is looking right at us.” 

Betty dragged her palms down her skirt, her anxiety starting to rise. “I need you to just… pretend we’re together so he doesn’t come over here.” 

Jughead’s eyes widened quickly, something flashing in them before they returned to normal, the reaction so quick that she wondered if she’d just imagined it. 

“You think that’s going to work?” He asked, but thankfully took a step toward her as he did so, closing the space between them.

Betty nodded, her pulse still pounding, though now… she wasn’t so sure it was only out of fear of Chuck approaching her as a warmth began to slide over her at the sweet smell of Jughead’s cologne mixed with the faint smell of malt on his breath from his drink. 

She cleared her throat. “Well, I don’t have many other options,” she chuckled again, though now it betrayed her nerves, “just smile and act like we’re having some amazing conversation.” 

He didn't hesitate, and she wasn’t prepared when his lips stretched into a slow grin. A grin that had her breath catching in her chest as heat pooled in her belly. God, he was gorgeous. Why in the world would he need Archie to push him towards women? She was surprised they weren’t lined up around the block waiting for a chance with him. How had she never noticed before?

“This good?” he asked, his head dipped slightly, his eyes never leaving hers. 

Betty swallowed, nodding. “Yes… that’s, uh, that’s perfect.” 

His eyes flashed again, this time she was sure she hadn’t just imagined it,  _ couldn’t _ have just imagined the heat that filled them before they darted quickly over her shoulder again. 

“He’s walking over here,” Jughead whispered, his lips still pulled into that disarming smile. 

Betty blinked, trying to clear her head as her panic started to rise again. Without thinking, she closed the rest of the space between them, her body pushing flush against his larger one and her hand coming up to rest on his chest. She could feel his heartbeat pounding against her palm. 

“Maybe put your hand on my hip? Look like…” she trailed off, her head tilting up to meet his eyes again, “look like we’re about to kiss maybe?”

He touched her cheek as his head moved closer. “Or I could just actually kiss you.”

The room went silent, the only sound she could hear was his quiet offer over the blood rushing in her ears. 

His eyes flickered over her shoulder again, the look in them telling her her high school flame was still approaching and she didn’t bother wasting another moment debating over what they should do.

“Kiss me-”

The words were barely out of her mouth before his head was dipping, his soft lips finding hers as the floor disappeared beneath them. 

Her body came alive in an instant, sensation starting where his lips were pressed to hers and quickly flooding her body with an intensity like nothing she’d ever experienced before. Her knees nearly gave out when his mouth opened, his tongue darting out to run along her bottom lip before pulling it between his own. His arm snaked around her waist, his fingertips brushing against the exposed skin at her back and setting her body aflame. 

No, she wasn't broken, she realized as feeling coursed through her. Not at all.

What had started off quick and desperate now slowed, his hand coming up to cup her cheek as their lips continued to dance. The kiss was intoxicating, leaving her lightheaded and gasping as he pulled back, his dark eyes meeting hers, filled with wonder.

“He’s gone,” he whispered, still so incredibly close. 

Betty blinked, trying to clear her head. “Who?”

Jughead chuckled, his forehead moving to rest against hers. 

“You felt that too, huh?”

Betty closed her eyes, a smile spreading over her lips, completely forgetting they were in the middle of a party, surrounded by dozens of people. “Yeah,” she breathed, opening her eyes again, “I felt that, too.”

His lips curved again. “Wanna get out of here? Maybe find a diner, get some food?” 

Betty nodded, biting at her bottom lip as she intertwined her fingers with his and took a step back, pulling him with her towards the door. Completely forgetting about Chuck and everyone else. 

“Told you it would work,” Veronica grinned as she and Archie watched them leave, “hunting down Chuck Clayton definitely did the trick.”

“I still think just shoving them into a closet together and locking the door would have worked, too.” 

  
Veronica turned to her fiancé, tugging at the collar of his shirt to bring his lips to hers. “Closets are  _ our _ thing though,” she said, nipping at his bottom lip, “and speaking of, I do believe this means I won our bet of who could get them together first. Time to pay up Archiekins,” she told him before, not so inconspicuously, pulling him into their front coat closet and not returning until most of the guests had left. 


End file.
